Collar



C. C. HEMMICK.

COLLAR, APPLICATION FILED SEPT. s, 1919.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

514132 w-loz UNlTED STATES PATENT @FFEQE.

CLARENCE C. HEMMIGK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DELPARK, INC, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COLLAR.

Specification of Letters Patent. l atgnted De 28 1920 Application filed September 6, 1919. Serial No. 322,058.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLARENCE C. HEM- MICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collars, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement in collars, and more particularly to an improvement in the type of collars known as soft collars, which are usually composed of flannel, linen, cotton or silk,

, without any stiffening material, such as overlap the other starch or the like.

It has been proposed heretofore to provide this type of collar with stiffeners composed of celluloid or some other stiff but flexible material, so that when the collar is in use it will present much the appearance of a stiff collar. member has sometimes been made in a single piece extending the whole length of the collar, but more usually it is made in two short pieces, whose total lengthis much less than the length of the collar, each piece being received in a separate pocket located at each end of the collar. The object of the invention is to improve upon the construction and the arrangement of the parts of a soft collar of the type provided with stiffening members, to the end that while the collar is in use itwill have no tendency to sag or gape open in front, but will always maintain an upright position, irrespective of the length of wear to-which it has been subjected or the number of times it has been laundried. Another object of the invention is to produce a soft collar of such construction that it can be manufactured at much less cost than it is possible to manufacture the present form of soft collar, while at the same time it will be superior in appearance. To these ends, one feature of the invention consists in constructing the collar so that one end will to a substantial extent and in providing the collar with a single stiffening member inserted in a pocket located in this overlapping end, so that the stiffening member will also overlap both ends of the collar when it is in use, thereby holding the front of the collar against sagging or gaping open. Further features of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter as the description proceeds, the invention itself be- This stiffener 0r stiffening.

portion or flap 6, as shownjn ing particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Flgure 1 is a perspective View of the improved soft collar in use, Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the flap raised, Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2,

and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the celluloid piece.

In its general features of construction, the collar of the present invention may be of any usual or preferred form, the collar illustrated in the drawings comprising a neckband 5, a turned-down portion or flap 6, which is joined to the top edge of the neckband and is outermost when the collar is in .use. The neck-band is provided in the lower 4 edge of its middle portion and at its both ends with buttonholes adapting it to be fastened to the shirt of the wearer. The flap 6 is provided on its under side with two cleats or laps 7 composed of tape, there being'one cleat at each end of the collar. These cleats are adapted to receive the necktie. lVhen the latter is tied, while the collar is in use, the front ends of the flap are thus held down closely against the neckband with the same effect as though the flap were stiifly laundried. These cleats also prevent the neck-tie from slipping from the collar when the collar is removed from the neck of the wearer.

One end of the neck-band extends beyond the end of its junction with the flap a sub stantial distance, and forms a tongue 10, which, when the collar is in use, overlaps the other end of the neck-band and extends under the adjacent end of the turned-down Fig. 1. On the outer side of this tongue end of the neck-band is formed a pocket 11 adapted to receive a stiffening member composed of celluloid or some other stiff but flexible material. The pocket extends to the very end of the tongue and, except for the cut-away portion 12 to accommodate the button-hole, is substantially the full width of the neckband. The stiffener 13 is of practicall the full length and width of the pocket. glhen the collar is in position on the neck of the wearer the tongue, together with its stiffener, by over-lapping the other end of the neck-band to a substantial extent, not only maintains the tongue side of the collar in upright position, but also the that there is no falling down or away of the front of the collar. The single stiffener maintains the collar in this condition regardless of the length of time the collar is in use and also regardless of the number of times the collar has been laundried. The shrinking of the collar has no tendency to cause the ends of the collar to open up or fall away while the tongue of the collar, as constructed according to the present invention, with its stiffener, overlaps the other end of the collar. The single stiffener, by extending to the end of the tongue, holds up the whole front of the collar while it is in use and so causes it sagging to present much the appearance of a stifflaundried collar.

By reason of the fact that the tongue or over-lapping part of the neck-band extends a considerable distance under the adjacent end of the turned-down portion or flap of the collar and also by reason of the fact that this tongue with its stiffener is similar in all respects as to stiffness to the tongue of a stiff collar, the usual and invisible fastening means with which soft collars have heretofore been provided for securing the tongue end of the neck-band to the other end thereof under the flap have been eliminated. This is of considerable importance and is of advantage not only to the user or wearer of the collar in that it saves his time in adjusting the collar in position, but is also of advantage to the manufacturer other sidefso in that it reduces the cost of manufacturihg the collar. 'This invisible fastening means is usually a button, which is frequently broken when the collar is laundried, and inasmuch as this fastening means has heretofore been necessary "to prevent the sagging of the tongue as soft collars have heretofore been constructed, it willbe seen that the present form of collar is more convenient for use.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be restricted to the precise form shown in the drawings, but that it may be embodied in other forms withinithe scope of the following claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

A soft collar comprising a neck band, an outer flap joined to the neck band, one of the ends of the neck band extending beyond the outer flap to form a tongue to overlap the other end of the neck band when the collar is in use, the upper edge of said tongue being in line with the junction of the neck band and the outer flap, a pocket in the tongue end of the neck band of less length than the collar, and a piece of stiff flexible material having a straight upper edge'and substantially filling the pocket so that the upper edge of the stiff flexible material lies substantiallyin the line of the point of junction of the neck band and outer flap, whereby the upper edge of the front of the collar, when the latter is in use, is prevented from saggin OLA EfIQE C. HEMMICK. 

